Just before Operation Overlord "Tootles" Recon flight was shot down ,captured and held prisoner in a Chateau near the coast of France.
Group Captain Ash cannot be allowed to be transferred to the Gestapo in Paris as he knows and carries a brief case with vital information for the invasion of Normandy.
A rescue plan is put in motion to rescue him.
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| The table set up with a road leading to the Chateau where Tootles is held. |
The British force put together for the night rescue mission.
2 x Senior Leaders, 2 x Sections, 1 x PIAT team, 1 x ATR team and 1 Sniper (not in photo)
The French resistance has also provided a German truck.
The night of the mission.
Chateau surrounded by barbed wire.
All the Germans are classed as Green.
2 guards patrol the perimeter of the barbed wire around the chateau using 2D6 for movement and 1D6 to determine which way they are facing at the end of their movement.
Another guard is positioned at the front door 1D6 is used to determine which way he is facing after each British Phase.
A Senior and Junior Leader are on the 1st floor.
One soldier is guarding "Tootlels"
One soldier is manning the LMG on the ground floor day looking out thru the window.
2 x Junior Leaders and a section of infantry are asleep in the top level of a barn with a SdKz 222 and SdKz 250 parked near by.
A guard post is positioned at the start of the road leading to the Chateau.
one soldier is stationary using 1D6 to see which way he is facing each Phase.
Another guard is moving along the outer perimeter of the boom gate using 2D6 for movment and 1D6 for facing.
On the completion of a British Phase all the German guards are activated to roll for movement and which way they will be facing.
They may also attempt to spot thru the dark up to 12" forward and 3" either side of their forward vision rolling 2D6 and rolling higher than the distance as per grenades usage for a successful spot.
Once the general alarm is activated both sides will be is able to see up to 12" forward and 3" either side of their forward vision.
The start of the Mission.
The Senior Leader decides to by pass the road block and split his force with
One Senior Leader, Section and ATR moving tactically thru the wheat field on the right.
One Senior Leader, Junior Leader, Section and PIAT moving on the left.
A Junior Leader and one rifleman are with the truck off table yet to be deployed.
The sniper is deployed on the wheat field on the right.
As the troops made there way to the designated points they survived 3 close call spotting attempts by the guards patrolling the perimeter of the barbed wire.
The troops on the right get into position.
the troops on the left also are in position and the senior Leader sends out a man to hopefully silently eliminate the guard but fails on his D6 roll.
The local alarm is activated.(the images now in colour)
The troops in the Chateau and the barn house are alerted to the penning danger.
while the guards at the boom gate are not yet activated.
The British team on the left put the guard down with rifle fire while the bren kills the guard at the front door.
With the gun blaring away, the General alarm is activated and the call for reinforcements goes out.
The phase now is the Germans and the LMG is about to be activated to fire but a INTERRUPT by the British allows the section to fire at the German gunner who smashes thru the window onto the ground to join his dead comrade.
The German player continues with his Phase and moves his troops in the barn down to the ground level hoping to move to the back of the Chateau.
while the 2 leaders position themselves at the top of the stairs waiting for the inevitable.
As the German has rolled a double Phase he moves his troops out of the barn with one Junior Leader and 2 riflemen rushing towards the Sdkz 222.
With the next Phase the British have entered the ground level of the Chateau but are meet with 5 deadly grenades rolled down the stairs.
3 riflemen are killed and a Junior is wounded and knocked out as can be seen thru the perspex floor.
The British rush up the stairs and engage the Germans in Close Combat eliminating all the Germans but suffering 2 casualties and the Senior leader receiving a wound.
Ash is free but the Germans near the barn have opened up on the Brits on the ground killing one and causing 2 points of Shock.
The Krauts are about to enter the Sdkz 222 so the Senior Leader orders the Bren and the a riflemen to man the windows start firing and throw grenades.
The Bren on the corner of the Chateau also joins in and the Section is wiped out.
The vehicle crew manage to enter their sdKz 222 and move to line up a shot.
The 222 opens up on the Brits on the 1st floor scoring 3 points of Shock.
Meanwhile the Junior Leader in the captured German Truck is deployed and smashes thru the boom gate rushing towards the chateau.
Desperation sets in as the British move their wounded and dead out the building and into the truck while the 222 struggles to activate with his Command Dice.
Not only does Ash need to be rescued but no wounded or dead British trooper are to be left behind as the Germans need to think it was a raid carried out by the French resistance.
1 man can carry 1 wounded/dead man using 1D6
2 men can carry 1 wounded/dead man using 2D6
As more wounded are loaded the Bren gunner positioned on the corner of the Chateau fires at the 222 hoping that it will not roll any saves but its not to be.
The Senior Leader activates the PIAT and ATR to move closer to the 222.
The PIAT and ATR in position starting down at the 222.
The 222 finally gets a chance to activate, achieves 5 HIts on both Anti tank teams but all have no effect.
The PIAT fires and misses .
The ATR fires, HITS and the 222 fails to roll any saves and is put out of Action bursting into flames.
The Troops that have loaded the wounded /dead buddies make their way down the road on foot.
More men make their way to the truck.
"Mission complete" Tootles is safe and on his way home.
Unfortunately for the Germans they were not able to deploy their reinforcement.
On the 3rd Turn after the general alarm sounded they were to be deployed and enter the road on the right side of the Chateau .
Fortunately for the British only 2 game Turns clicked over.
Schwinnwagen and 2 of his henchmen with SMGs
Opal truck with 1 Junior Leader and 6 riflemen.
Sdkz 250 9 with Junior Leader.
Their mission was to grab "Tootles" and exit off the road.
The following week we played again, this time I was controlling the Germans.
The Brits managed to silently eliminate 2 guards patrolling the perimeter of the Chateau but sadly failed to eliminate the guard at the front door who activate the alarm.
The British went on to rescue "Tootles".
Again no German reinforcements arrived.
Some mods we added to the scenario.
- one figure is able to carry one wounded/dead man using 1D6 for movement
- two figures are able to carry one wounded/dead man using 2D6 for movement
- The German LMG on the ground floor was only activated with the local alarm
- stationary in the wheat field = light cover
- moving in the wheat field = Open
- Once free, Tootles was given a pistol for self defence
- We only activated the German Command Dice roll once a Alarm was activated.
Some thoughts after the game.
I think the German player should be allowed to roll his Command Dice from the beginning of the game to start accumulating Chain of Command points to use to End Turns, to speed up the deployment of his reinforcements.
cheers John
